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Man accused of firing shot that killed Paul DeWolf says he's innocent

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Dajeon Franklin, 21, has his preliminary examination adjourned until April in the 14A-1 District Court Thursday. He is charged with murder in the death of U-M med student Paul DeWolf.
(Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News)

The 21-year-old Pittsfield Township man accused of fatally shooting University of Michigan medical student Paul DeWolf during a botched burglary last summer is maintaining his innocence despite investigators' claims that DNA evidence links him to the crime, his lawyer said.

"I have heard that there is DNA on ... a pair of shoes," Walter White said Thursday in the hallway outside the 14A-1 District courtroom where his client, Dajeon Franklin, had his preliminary examination adjourned until April 3. "Without knowing anything about how it might have got there or how the samples were handled, it's too early to say."

White was referring to a Detroit Free Press report that says droplets of DeWolf's blood were found on Franklin's size 13 Nikes, which were discovered by police during a search of an ex-girlfriend's Ypsilanti home.

Franklin appeared briefly in the courtroom. He seemed calm, almost somnambulant, shutting his eyes at times. He only muttered one word, "Yeah," when Judge Kirk Tabbey asked him if he understood that he was waiving his right to a preliminary examination within 14 days of being formally charged.

White asked for the adjournment because he only had partial discovery in the case. Tabbey said the prosecution handed over 80 discs of discovery — reports, evidence and other materials the prosecution has to share with the defense.

Tabbey said the amount of evidence in this case was so voluminous, there needed to be at least 30 days to go through it.

White said he had only looked at two discs and still had a mountain of materials to go through.

"I've done a number of homicide cases and this is far more discovery than I've ever gotten in any of them," he said in the hallway.

Franklin is the third and final suspect charged in the case. He is accused of being the man who shot and killed DeWolf on the night of July 23 in DeWolf’s bedroom at the Phi Rho Sigma medical fraternity, 220 N. Ingalls St. in Ann Arbor.

He is charged with felony murder, two counts of first-degree home invasion, conspiracy to commit second-degree home invasion and being in possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Two other South Carolina men — Joei Jordan, 20, and Shaquille Jones, 21 — have also been charged in DeWolf’s homicide. Jones has already pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree home invasion and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree home invasion. Jordan's case has yet to be resolved.

Franklin's name has been brought up several times during court proceedings, which have identified him as the man who shot and killed DeWolf that summer night. Jones will likely testify against him in the case.

Court documents show that Jordan and Jones told Ann Arbor police investigators that Franklin is the one who fired the shot that killed DeWolf.

DeWolf was asleep in his bedroom in the basement of the Phi Rho Sigma fraternity house, 220 N. Ingalls St., when the three men entered his room on July 23, police said. When he woke up, he asked what was going on. When he got out of bed, Franklin pulled a handgun and pointed it at him, Jones told police.

An Ann Arbor police investigator testified in court that Jones said DeWolf then grabbed something off of his desk or from his drawer and started to go towards Franklin, who was holding the gun. Jones stated that Franklin tried to hit DeWolf with the gun and it went off.

Franklin still says he didn't do it, however.

"I have a client who says he is innocent," White said. "We'll see what the evidence says."

John Counts covers crime and breaking news for The Ann Arbor News. He can be reached at johncounts@mlive.com or you can follow him on Twitter. Find all Washtenaw County crime stories here.